Of Ash and Flowers
by Risheru
Summary: Who is that girl who entrances me? Who is that man with onyx eyes? My re-telling of the story of Hades and Persephone, several liberties taken. Rated M for just in case and later chapter purposes. Hades/Persephone, Zeus/Hera, Athena, Artemis, Gaia, Rhea, Hecate, Nyx, Thanatos etc.
1. Chapter 1

**UPDATED! I included a little more info for sake of making more sense. I realize that as I write more chapters, my characters change a bit, and I don't have enough background evidence to support their full development. Thankfully, there's the option to update and replace chapters : ) well, happy reading! **

**Author's Note: I do not own Greek Mythology or the names Hades, Persephone, Zeus, Demeter or any other gods. I also don't own the setting of Olympus etc. Only the wording, perspective, and feelings are my own.**

**I really love this couple, and hope that if you don't already, you will come to love them via my story. This is only chapter 1, and if you know the traditional tellings (there are several, word of mouth doesn't really preserve ever single detail) then you know that this is really a pre-beginning to the good stuff. This is my first fan fiction but I welcome comments!**

Chapter 1: Who are you?

He stared intently, burning the image before him in his memories...forever.

Could he ever witness anything more paradoxical, perfect, breathtaking? Impossible. He leaned against the shady oak that hid the woodland mortal entrance to his lair and sighed deeply.

_Who was she that stole his curiosity? _

_Who was she to take from him the solace of his empty thoughts, only to replace them with bitterness for her, towards her? _

But after the bitterness set in, there was something more, akin to desire – a longing. A deep desire for the air around her to embrace his very being.

He very well knew whom, but the question on his tongue to which he may never discover the answer remained: _why does she do this to me, How does she do this to me?_

* * *

It began with a trip to Olympus, a place he once despised, but now had a distant fondness for it had lead him to her, or had she found her way to him?

He paced the steps on the white clouds of his brother's kingdom. With each step the clouds in wisps swirled about his soles only to evaporate the next second.

"Just like my brothers kingdom to act as frivolous and flighty as their mighty king." He scoffed, diverting his attention from the silver-lined combinations of mere dust and water.

Just then the clouds swirled drastically about him and a tiny girl who looked about 8 in mortal years dashed past, her dark brown hair shining almost fiery red in the extreme sunlight. The very clouds of the great sky god paled in comparison to her radiance. The very air about her seemed to warm and soften the intensity of the sun's rays, making it easier for the man to keep his eyes open in the blaring white light of Zeus.

He let out a low chuckle, he wasn't used to being by-passed so easily, and it was difficult to go unnoticed when you were a shadow, the only shadow, in the realm of light.

She stopped. Just as quickly as she had come she snapped around seemingly noticing her mistake, a young goddess should always respect and greet those of higher status, and he was obviously older than she. As her head turned her hair swung back creating a rather formidable illusion of entangled clouds and fire. As she rushed to courtesy before she regained her balance she began to fall forwards.

Someone's grip saved her from disgrace, placed her upright, and released from under her arms. She completed her courtesy, keeping her eyes fixated on the clouds beneath them and managed to mutter,

"Excuse me, my Lord. I didn't realize anyone would be so far from the Party Hall. I beg your pardon."

The Lord before her knelt down and cupped slender hands gently underneath her chin. _These hands_, she thought, _they're strong_. His thumb ran the length under her bottom lip and she peaked her chin upwards, locking into deep light-less eyes; entranced by the depth of them she almost didn't hear his low chuckle, managing to hear a distant baritone voice asking, "What is your name child?"

She moved her lips to speak but could hear no sound, in fact the only sense that seemed to work was her vision, yet she could not see beyond the dark orbs which were calling out to her, and yet warning her to go no further.

When the child made no sound, he felt the corners of his lips droop into a subtle frown. He did his best to make his voice even softer this time.

"Do not fear me child, I only wish to know the name of the very free-spirited," he smirked, "goddess before me." Never breaking her intense gaze, the child dropped suddenly to her knees, placed her hand gently upon his slender fingers and spoke just above a whisper,

"Forgive me my Lord, I am Persephone, child to Demeter and Zeus." He had to break her stare, whether or not she intended to stare him down or was completely appalled, or intrigued, by his different appearance he did not know. But those deep-set emerald eyes, in that place of intense light, it played tricks on him. He thought that beyond those beautiful green gems he saw a blazing orange-red, just like the color he had witnessed in her hair not moments before. _Zeus and Demeter's child? _He thought to himself. _It is so like my brother to create illegitimate offspring, but this child; there is something different about this child._

Those onyx eyes flicked away as she spoke her father's name; his fingers slid from between her own and her cheek. He stood then, revealing his full height, and she followed, never releasing her intense gaze. The clouds of Olympus swirled around his figure, a dark-clothed, handsome man with long and defined features took her hand and lifted her a second time to her feet.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, my dear, Persephone," the baritone voice lingered a bit too long for comfort before it continued, "the goddess of…?"

"Spring," she said, excited to hear her called a goddess though she was still a mere child made her exited and interested in this new god. She almost jumped in excitement and grabbed the man's hand, come I'll show you. She flicked around and made to skip towards the garden she was originally headed for. But those slender fingers beneath her grip tightened and stopped her gait, "Another day, child." Said the deep, and soothing, voice.

She turned to protest, and long silky black hair fell onto her hand, and she felt his lips press onto her tiny fingers. She caught her breath as she locked once more into those onyx eyes. And heard the voice say, "It was a pleasure, my dear, Persephone. I will see your powers when the flowers blossom over Greece. Such a lovely name, for such a lovely child." And the clouds turned black and whirled around the man violently. Where the man once stood hovered a single flower, white petals, and a fainted yellow inside. She reached out and before she could grip the beautiful flower her mother's hand whacked it out of its enchanted hover, and with a frazzled and almost frightened look she asked, "Daughter, whomever did you receive that flower from?"

"I don't know," she realized out loud and more to herself than her mother, "I never asked his name."

* * *

Centuries since her last visit to Olympus, Persephone lay in the grass staring at the beautifully lit sky. She had aged as gods age, slowly breaking towards immortality. Her Aunt Hestia had told her once that when she fully accepted her divine role, she would stop aging, and live her life fully as the fates decided it for all eternity. She wasn't there yet, she decided. She looked like she had aged only 11 mortal years, it had been at least one millennia since her last visit as a child to Olympus, she wondered if she would ever see her male cousins, her famous aunts, or her father ever again. How many more centuries must she wait until her mother finally let her go a little bit?

But, this was her punishment.

Her mother was so harsh after she disobeyed her orders to stay in her room in Olympus and not wander. She was to avoid Olympus, confined to her mother's earthly realm in Greece; her only companions mindless and provocative nymphs, and her flowers. Sometimes though she was visited occasionally by her half-sisters the virgin goddess of the hunt, Artemis, though her brother was never allowed to tag along per her mother's orders, and the other virgin goddess of Justice and War, Athena. Then there was Aunt Hestia. But what Demeter tried to mask and hide from Persephone with their lack of … experience, had been filled in ever so eagerly by the mindless chatter of her nymph friends. Persephone had learned through stories alone many things, but she was never allowed to experience much more than the fields and lakes beyond her Mother's home in Etna.

_I only went to plant a garden_, she had thought over and over the incident and wondered why she was punished so for something so… petty.

"Oh well," she sighed, "And I never got to know that god's name, it was truly rude of me not to ask." She heard the nymphs nearing the spot where she lay; wanting desperately to be rid of her mother's watchful eye's and those of her damn frivolous nymphs, she sprung up and ran towards the clearing just bordering the distant and forbidden woods. She hid behind the first shady oak

She got to the line of trees and sunk to the earth below. From the folds of her dress she pulled out the white and yellow flower from those many years prior. She let it twirl slowly in front of her and stared at the flower, remembering those onyx eyes. Just then she heard something like a faint wind from deep within the forest.

"_Persephone_," He whispered.

Fire flashed – her hair whipping, and deep-set emerald eyes stared in his direction.

**Author's Post-Script: This is how I envisioned their meeting. Warning, if you know the original story, the next chapters will be a little more mature, and well, a little grimy so don't be too offended but fair warning ****J****. Also sorry for playing around with point of view, I tried to break it into appropriate paragraphs for better viewing. I hope I load the next chapter soon ****J****, updates promised!**


	2. Chapter 2

**UPDATED! So I realize it may be a hassle to keep going back to read my updates on previously written chapters, so I won't do this again, I hope I have it all here and ready for you. THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES ARTEMIS AND ATHENA, yay! I mapped out the entire story, so hopefully more details will be unnecessary, happy reading!**

**Author's Note: The traditional story is known as the "Rape of Persephone," though understand that rape in archaic terms meant the crime of taking against one's will. The connotations of the word are much more severe in meaning, though kidnap is just as much a crime as rape, I'm not downplaying the myth or the content, or the crime, but I do think that when they said Hades raped her, they meant he took her away. Of course, the M rated stuff will come later, for now, enjoy the bit of Persephone's innocence in this bit of the story ****J**

Chapter 2: Decisions

The wind, only just a minute ago gently blowing through soft auburn curls, was now eerily stilled. The air around the girl was damp and tense and she looked towards the whisper in the forest.

She'd always loved to test the limits of her mother's protective barrier, the first obstacle was the lake, the second the open field, and the then came the border of her mother's lands. If she could reach towards the sun shinning brilliantly on the field, her hand would be against the barrier.

But, it wasn't half a century prior that she had discovered this single tree. The barrier crept into the shadows behind it instead of stopping short where the darkness of the forest extended out onto the field in the guise of the shade beneath the trees.

She used to love lounging in the shade of this tree – one hand betwixt fiery curls and damp grass as she gazed lazily at the under side of the treetops. She would lift her free hand in the sky and mimic the motion of the leaves swaying in the gentle breeze: never protesting to sway as the wind told it to sway, heading all direction to the nature of the earth – back and forth, back and forth, this way, that way, sometimes too suddenly, and sometimes too painfully slow. She would scoff then, thinking of how she too bent, always willingly, to the demands of not just the laws of nature, but of the Goddess herself, her mother Demeter.

Now though, she thought to herself with a proud smirk, _I really pushed the limits this time_.

She had wandered clear over to the other side of that special tree, just inside the outer-most layer of her mother's protective barrier, in the shadows and not the shade.

She was proud for a moment, and then all was very still as she looked a second time towards the direction of the whisper.

The barrier her mother had placed around her domain was able to keep out mortals and other unwanted creatures, her mother had said, but gods, they could come and go as they pleased. The only catch being that if they crossed the barrier to enter her domain, Demeter would know immediately who, and would be alerted of where and when the breach took place. Persephone reached out her fingers to grasp the twirling and extremely old but not withered Narcissus flower, wondering: _but would she know immediately if someone were to exit her barrier, someone who she thought would never betray her, someone who had never ever betrayed her?_

Though the fields, the lake, the land in which Demeter had raised Persephone and had her confined, was lush and not devoid of any sort of nourishment, Persephone's great sense of adventure was fueled only by the stories of others. She was 19 now, or the mortals said she looked it, she deserved a little adventure for herself!

Emerald orbs scanned the horizon of the field. She could scarcely make out the figures of the nymphs she was hiding from as they made their way to the border. A wide grin spread across the goddesses face. In a flash decision, much like many of the decisions she made, she hiked the front of her skirt a few inches above her ankles, and she ran full speed towards the whisper; she expected to be met with an alarm of some sort, the trees to bend and block her path, the earth itself to grow a wall and stop her run, but nothing happened when she broke through the barrier, escaping the last glimmer of light shinning into the forest from the field. She was free now. Almost as if in congratulations the wind picked up behind her and she continued to run, laughing wildly as she whipped around to see if the nymphs had made it to the edges of the forest yet.

* * *

_"I must prepare for the feast on Olympus, and must ask you once more to watch over my daughter." The Goddess of Harvest stood before two younger goddesses. _

_One was tall and lean, she wore her wavy hair in a messy bun at the nape of her neck, some loose strands of russet brown locks brushed either cheek on the sides of her face; yet another loose strand was tucked carelessly behind her left ear. Her dress was meant to be long, but she had hiked it up to pool just above her knees in the front, letting it fall loose in the back, the fabric hovering just an inch above the floor as she stood there. Her long limbs were a lovely mix of fawn and tan colored skin, which shown with golden flecks as the sunlight danced in the halls of Olympus. Both her arms and hands were bound with straps of leather, usually she used these as holsters for various instruments of the hunt, but today she had settled for just the straps, and her signature pieces – intricately carved pieces of wood, illuminated like the moon itself, with silver engravings of deer, horns, and crescent moons shaped to form the formidable bows and arrows of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt._

_The first pinched the bridge of her nose as her eyelids fell almost in an irritated fashion to hide ochre and copper laced eyes, "Dear Aunt, Demeter, when will you trust that the girl can take care of herself? When will you stop treating Persephone as though she is not indeed a goddess like the rest of us? I would love to visit my sister without a false reason besides babysitting."_

_"My dear, niece, Kore is merely a girl, I only ask this of you because I know that I can trust her with you."_

_This time the second female spoke. Her black pupils with a faint silver lining stared directly into the dark green orbs of the Harvest Goddess. "Demeter, she must grow into her divine role as we all have. Things like this prevent her from fulfilling what the fates have set forth for her to do. No one, not even my great father can deny the fates their weaving."_

_She stood tall and her features demanded attention. But her voice, though unwavering and ringing true and strong throughout the halls of Olympus, was filled with compassion towards Demeter. Her white robes fell in a long straight sheet to the floor, covering her feet fully. Her hair was just as long and straight, it made her look even more fearsome and straitlaced it had no kinks, no strays, a stark contrast to the goddess standing besides her. No doubt these two were beauties even amongst the more sought after goddesses like Aphrodite, or Hera, but these two were sworn virgins, devoted to their domains and not much else. She was about the same height as the Goddess of the Hunt, but the air about her was more stagnant, giving the Harvest Goddess less room to breathe, or to argue when she stared into her all-knowing eyes. _

_Demeter remembered the day Athena had first emerged from Zeus' forehead, she was then as she stood now, triumphant, beautiful, untouchable, and fully armored. Her chest plate was formed to match perfectly with her fit physique, and her matching golden crown sat high atop her head, she had come out the Goddess of Wisdom, Warfare, and Intelligence, and she surely looked the part._

_The Harvest Goddess shook her head and darted her eyes furiously from the first young goddess to the next, "Will you help me or do I have to go and bother Hestia? I thought if anything you two would love to see my dear Kore!"_

_"It is not that we don't want to see her, it's as I said Aunt Demeter that I wish you'd give the girl some room to breathe, to run, to live-" the Goddess of the Hunt cut off her own sentence, she found her many arguments of the same nature rather futile with her damned stubborn Aunt._

_"Demeter, I will do as you ask, but I implore you to see reason and let her grow; how can the Goddess of Spring and all it's growth truly have her powers come to fruition if her own development is stunted?" The Goddess of Wisdom had a point. _

_"And you Artemis, will you not join your sisters?" _

_"Oh, Aunt Demeter, you know I will go, just understand my objections in the matter-"_

_"GREAT! I leave tomorrow at high noon, and I wish to see the two of you there before I depart. Kore will be so thrilled!"_

_In a flash of fire the red-headed goddess stalked away towards the divine gates to return to Etna. The scent of barely and wheat still lingered in the air, and Artemis turned to Athena,_

_"What do you know? Why didn't you argue? You know just as much as I that our poor sister is practically suffocated by that damned woman!"_

_"Artemis, patience. Remember what father said?"_

_"Yeah, something about the fates and a plan, and I was a little too distracted by how intricate this all was, just to let Persephone have a chance to explore the little grove outside her mother's boundaries? It makes no sense, the real thrill lies in the hunt. The wind at your face, stillness and silence your allies while every sound and subtle vibration can cost you the kill – Why are you staring at me like that? Like you know something?"_

_"Perhaps if you were listening to our father when he spoke to us in private, you would have understood."_

_"Well, enlighten me dear sister and Goddess of divine Wisdom and intelligence," she bowed mockingly, her stray locks gracing the leather of her strapped sandals, "do remind me of our dear father's words."_

_"Do not interfere – "_

_"The fates will have their day, and there is nothing you can do about it. May as well just enjoy the scenery." This time a booming voice spoke. A chiseled man, with brilliantly white robes and just as brilliantly white teeth bared a smile as he turned the corner to face his two daughters. A rough and large hand ran through golden curls as a rumble of thunder and laughter quaked the halls. "My beautiful daughters, the time commences soon, and we will all be better off for it." _

* * *

She stopped and turned and she could not see past the few trees she had just run through. Her breathing was rapid and heavy from her sprint and only grew more intense as she looked down to notice vines creeping through the grass beneath her feet. The colors of the forest blended together so that the green she knew to be the leaves, the rich brown of the bark, the emerald of the grass, they all looked a dull grey now. Everything was encased in shadow, what had once represented her freedom, now suffocated her.

"Artemis? Athena? Sisters" she choked out. Her breaths had not yet caught up to her.

No response.

She stepped backwards, afraid of her decision and fell to her back over the root of an overgrown willow tree. She thought she felt something above her, no it was to the left, no it was the tree to the right, it was in front of her, oh where was it? She scrambled to her feet and ran away from the willow. Now, she just had to get away.

Desperate for any sense of direction she ran aimlessly through the forest.

The grass grew softer as she ran and what once was the sound of crunching – her feet playing in the crisp grass beneath the rays of the sun, became a dull thud that seemed to resound louder and louder with each step she took. The echo of her laughter came back to her and Persephone quickened pace. Frantic she searched wildly for help but dared not ask for it out loud, who knows what she had gotten herself into.

Up ahead she saw a slit in the treetops where light was shining. She burst into the small clearing clutching at the colored growth illuminated there. The light was duller here than in her field, but it soothed her nonetheless. The wind no longer still, she could hear faintly the birds chirping in one of the treetops around the clearing.

Then she looked around.

The ground of this small illuminated circle was covered in moss instead of grass, the moss felt soft yet lively under her touch. Better than the dead grass she had just encountered she thought. There were rocks scattered here and there, but aside from those two things, only a small stream of crystal waters cut through the middle of the clearing. It was then that she saw something growing at the base of one of the rocks near the stream. She pulled the flower of memories from her skirt pocket and stared in awe, in the past 1100 years, this was the first time she had found a flower to match the one she was given that day on Mount Olympus.

* * *

He stood there entranced, he willed himself to breath slower, softer, but the sound emanating from his chest was echoing much too loudly. He clenched his fists bitterly at himself. _Why is she here? Reckless child! _He seethed at her in his head. He turned to leave when slender and petite ivory fingers reached out towards something. He felt something prick at his backside; he hastened towards a decision.

_If she takes my flower, _he reasoned with himself, _I shall have her. _

_And if she doesn't_ he thought, but he shooed it away and inched closer to the clearing, palms sweating, chest rising and falling even more rapidly now.

"Excuse me, My Lord…." a silky voice escaped her lips.

Quickly he hid behind the tree, retreating into its shadows. Surely she hadn't seen him.

"I didn't realize anyone would be so far from the party hall." She continued in a whisper. A giggle escaped her then as her ivory fingers caressed the soft petals of the lone Narcissus. He sighed, relieved, just reliving old memories he thought.

Memories of… him?

"But I never knew his name" she sighed, addressing the flower before her.

"You're so beautiful, come with me, you can keep my other one company," and with a slight pull of the wrist, the flower, roots, and all escaped the earth and entered her embrace. She remembered onyx eyes…

A twig snapped behind her, and she saw onyx eyes!

She made to run but something grabbed around her waist, she made to scream but frustratingly her voice had run from her. She scratched at the earth only to see that it was slowly melting away from her reach, and that she was falling.

She was falling into the embrace of the slender hands at her waist… no, she was falling with those hands, and those eyes were not the only blackness she witnessed that day.

His grip on her tightened, eyes set forward, he pulled her kicking and screaming form close to him. Her hair brushed his lips and he thought he'd lose composure then, but it would be so inopportune at the moment. He breathed in her smell: it was rich like the earth, but playful and light like the light that shone upon it. A gasp escaped her and he felt her eyes upon his face. He shoved her body close and whispered in her ear,

"Hades, my dear Goddess of Spring, and you will soon see for yourself that over which I claim my title as Lord."

A soft and gentle whimper escaped her lips, and her head fell into his shoulder.

The Lord cradled her limp form gently as he carried her blindly into the depths of his Underworld.

**Author's Post Note: So then I changed it up a bit. Put a few more characters in there. Think it beefs up the story line a little? I do like flashbacks, sorry if it gets annoying. Lemme know what ya think thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**UPDATED! I've added some more info here. I'm trying to give more umf to the story. Recently read through as much online material as possible to get all the views on the story, and well, I think I've figured out where I'm going with it all. So that meant, I had to update all the chapters I've posted. Thankfully, I only posted 4 so HAZAAA almost done, and ready to post a new chapter after all the updates are posted. I think the updates are rather substantial, thanks for putting up with me.**

**Author's Note: ****So here's where Hades and Persephone first interact coherently, well not really because she's mad and all but you know. Anyways, here's chapter 3, and if you're wondering what the dress looks like I have a pretty good google image to share with you on my profile. obviously not my picture, but google images is public enough right? Anyways, enjoy the story. Also story bumped to M for just in case and later chapters :).**

Chapter 3: I've got you now

As his horses and carriage hit solid ground, Hades pulled back on the reigns and laid the girl's limp body on the seat gently. He got off to release his horses and stretch his fingers, arms, and legs. Even though she had fainted rather quickly, this tiny girl gave him quite the fight. He reached his slender fingers up to touch his face, a long scratch reached from below his right eye to the top of his thin set lips. Ichor seeped slowly from the recovering wound. A long golden line graced the handsome but cold and pale face of the Lord of the Underworld. He returned to the girl in his carriage after unhitching his horses. She was breathing heavily. He reached out, pale fingers caressing ivory skin, lingering on the freckles that dotted her nose and parts of her cheeks beneath her eyes.

She looked so innocent.

Since their first meeting on Olympus, the girl had grown into a young beauty: her auburn hair in sleek loose curls, not as wild as before. The eerie glow of the river Acheron gave her hair even more strands of orange fire than he remembered seeing in the blinding sun of Olympus.

She wore a simple white dress: almost all of her skin covered. The dress reached just below her neckline, and the sleeves hugged her upper arms and let loose around her forearms, with fabric hanging from her wrists. The dress was lined at the waist with white embroidered flowers, and it flowed with no structure along her sleeping body, wrapping around her ankles.

No doubt a dress picked by her over protective mother. He thought to himself, "_Kore," could Demeter make it more obvious that she wanted to keep this girl as her child forever? She had nicknamed the girl "maiden" for gods sake._ But no one could say anything, now he had her.

He plucked her from her resting pose on the seat, one arm under both knees, the other under her shoulder blades. Soft fiery curls draped across his shoulder, her head dropping to rest against his black-armored chest plate. His black coat whipped behind him and he made his way to Charon's ferry, the stark contrast of ethereal white and the darkest of blacks floating silently along the banks of the river.

* * *

Persephone sighed heavily, her movements groggy, she tried to sit up too sharply causing pain in her side. She opened her eyes slowly, used to having to adjust to the harsh sunlight upon waking, but found that the only light in the space where she rested was a heavenly glow flowing in from a single window to her left.

I have two windows in my room she thought…. And there are no windows in the meadow! Where am I? Memories flooded to her, she remembered daydreaming about her time in Olympus, and those eyes that she fell into so many years ago, she remembered materializing before her. She couldn't remember if she had been screaming or if she had just wanted to scream. Images of the earth opening up and swallowing her returned to her and she suddenly felt very small, helpless, vulnerable, but at the same time, her thirst for adventure was somewhat satisfied?

A small yelp escaped her and she examined herself. She had learned from the stories of her nymph friends, and the warnings of her mother so many times after being chastised for falling asleep in the fields, that when you made yourself vulnerable, men would seize the opportunity, and take your most precious things from you. Her heart pounding, she looked down, her dress was still intact. She reached up, some flower petals remained in her hair, but her crown of flowers was nowhere to be found. Breathing a sigh of relief, she rummaged into the folds of her dress but could not find her flowers. Her breath hitched, it was then that she inspected the rest of the room.

She was lying in a bed she surmised, not her own bed either. Just to the side of this bed was a nightstand carved from a very dark wood. Upon it sat a large quartz vase, encrusted with many gems: emeralds, obsidians, rubies, and pink quartz. Her Narcissus flowers sat entwined in the same vase. At least she still had all her _possessions_ with her. Nothing was taken, not even, she gulped, she couldn't think about the numerous fantasies induced by the stories of the nymphs, she had to find out where she was, and how to get back.

She sat up, silky covers leaving her frame. The bed was soft and lush, the covers were silky and looked expensive: the bedspread was colored with raspberry reds, black, and wine colors. The pillows were large and comfortable, no amount of fluff spared, and they were rimmed in gold, colored deep Tyrian purple, and decorated with swirls of white and red embroidery. The bed frame was made of the same dark wood as the nightstand. Above her the same red and purple fabric that made her bed cascaded like clouds from the ceiling, it stretched over a large area underneath which the bed occupied. She realized now that at least 10 of her could sleep in the bed all at once.

She got up to roam around the room; the ground was made of tiles, encrusted with the same gems as the vase. Past the area designated for sleeping, and the single but large bay window, she entered an area for sitting. Grand chairs with plush cushions sat on a ruby red rug, lined with swirling gold and white designs. The wall behind this seating area painted a picture of beautiful fields, with running rivers and lush scenery. Only when she got closer, she realized it wasn't painted on, but made painstakingly from pieces of pale gems, attached one by one to the wall to create the picture. Beyond that even was another area where a luxurious bath sat, there was a large stained glass window behind it with the picture of a waterfall. From the picture actual water seeped out and flowed constantly into the bathtub beneath it, she could not tell where the water escaped, only that it surely escaped somewhere.

She returned to the sitting area and noticed this time that there was a door opposite the mural. It was the way out! She ran and thrust the door open…

* * *

Hades had made up his mind to see if the girl had awoken. He thought that this would have happened a lot smoother had he not made a rash decision to steal her then and there. Though Zeus approved, Hades original plan was to wait a few years later when the girl would blossom into a full fledged Spring Goddess, should Demeter allow it, at her 20th birthday celebration. He would to approach Demeter, settle their quarrels, with Zeus' aide, he would court the girl.

Zeus laughed at his request, "Just take her for yourself, do it before somebody else gets her first." The god of thunder and skies had winked. What the hell had happened to make him swallow his pride and actually do as his brother had suggested?! He walked with a furious pace down the length of the black halls and turned right down a flight of stairs that led to a more decently lit hall. The carpet here was crimson red, lined with wine and golden threads, and at the end of it was the door to his personal chambers. He stopped at the only other door accompanying his in the lone hall. The nymphs had used gems to create the image of a flowery canopy above this quaint door of walnut wood. The door was made of the same rich wood as the rest of the furniture in the room. He had been planning this for years, the room constructed to fit the girl just inside the door. He paused for a while thinking what he was to do if the girl was awake this time, the first time he visited not an hour ago, she was still asleep from her previous fainting spell. Turning the ruby handle slightly, he pushed and the door flew open. He hadn't pushed that hard he thought. He rushed into the room almost losing balance and looked up, staring into emerald eyes.

* * *

She stopped in her tracks. Her arms hugged around her body protectively, she pried her eyes off of the handsome but dark figure in front of her. She ran back to safety, back to where she was, she gripped at the sheets, and cried aloud pointing a finger at the man closing the door, "WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS TO ME?" she wailed.

She threw herself onto the sheets; she was so helpless, so desperate for an answer, for a way out, for someone to shed some light on her situation.

Hades clicked the ruby handle shut behind him. The room could only be locked from the outside. Pitiful he thought to himself, I kidnap the girl and I make damn sure she can't run, I plan this entire thing for years, without the prospect of kidnap, yet the door is set to lock from the outside, because even if I had courted her correctly, she'd still run from me, like she is doing now.

He took in a staggered breath, checked his composure in the full-length mirror alongside the bathtub, and crossed the distance between them in hushed steps.

She raised her head after yelling at him, her lips parted, he felt himself flinch, and he wanted those lips right now. He craved her like he'd never craved her in the past 1100 years. All those centuries waiting, watching, planning, all gone to waste. But he had her here and now. He leaned in towards those rosy lips, licking his own in anticipation, his knees hit the edge of the bed. And then he felt a stinging sensation on his cheek.

Her arm was raised, her hair was tangled in the front, some of it clinging to the wetness running from her eyes onto her cheeks, she clutched the pillow with the other hand against her chest, she looked so beautiful then. She was so distraught, he felt guilty: elated because he had made her this way, he had longed to have her, but not even an ounce of courting this beauty and he had already broken her, had her begging for something from him. His trance was broken when she flung her protective barrier at him, fluff hitting his face.

As the pillow fell to his lap Persephone looked at the face of her captor. He was not longer greedily licking his lips, now his thin ruby red lips turned into a scowl, looking especially mean as it stood out like blood on the pale white of his papery skin. His chin was angular and sharp, making his features very manly and powerful. She dropped her hand then grasping the sheets and clutching them under her chin. She continued to stare at his face, his once half-lidded eyes opened wide now, his pupils dilated fully into large circles of deep, deep black, no light, just blackness – "Persephone," said the scowling face.

"I HATE YOU!" she yelled again, this time flinging both her fists into the square of his armored chest, she expected it to hurt, I mean it couldn't feel so great to hit bare skin against armor, but instead of the pain and trickle of ichor she expected, she felt long slender fingers caress her wrists, and then coil around them in a grip of death. Her fists were held in mid air for a split second before she was thrust down onto the red silk and purple fluff beneath her.

With her wrists pinned to her side, all she could do was scream, "HELP!" she began, squirming and kicking to no avail.

"In this realm," the soothing voice began next to her ear, "I am your only form of salvation."

"NO, GET OFF OF ME, LET ME GO, I WANT TO GO BACK, TAKE ME BACK, I HATE YOU HELP ME!" Her screams were deafened by the taste of those ruby red lips on hers. She shut her eyes tight, attempting to push the burn of those onyx eyes from her memories, attempting to push her emotions away and just push him away. She continued to wriggle and writhe, he had both her hands now pinned above her head, and the free hand grasped at the back of her neck and head, holding her against him.

He grinned sheepishly, she felt so good, and she tasted so sweet. He licked her cheeks as fresh tears spilled forwards and laughed into her ear as she continued to fight and to scream. Her voice grew hoarse after a while and he looked into those blazing eyes, "Now, now, dear one, come to me, and don't make it so difficult." He made to kiss her again, to taste those soft lips, a hint of chamomile and daisies left lingering there. He pressed his lips to hers, unconsciously grinding himself into her form; she parted her lips, _yes, _he thought, _give in to me_, and she bit him. He would have enjoyed it had it not left the honeyed taste of ichor on his tongue, he tried to pull back but she had sunk her teeth so far into his bottom lip that now it hurt.

"Get off." She sneered through gritted teeth, eyes shining like emerald daggers to his heart. He released his grip on her hands, she released his lip, and they sat up together, staring at each other. "You will become my wife, that is why you are here, my dear Persephone," he seethed at her, hoping his words stung as much as his lip at the moment.

He braced himself for another round of screaming, but the fire left her eyes, and at that moment Persephone fell to the sheets and began to weep.

He sat there thinking over the situation. She had the same fiery passion increased ten fold since the day they first met, but now she was crying. Her sobs drowned his soul. He tried to pat them away, but she only cried harder at his touch on her hair. He grabbed a fistful of her fiery hair, and saw the light literally fade from it, the fire was extinguishing slowly, and though this was better for his physical being, he hated it. He hated himself; he hated her. This was her fault, if she hadn't caught his eye to begin with. If she hadn't been so beautiful, so painstakingly beautiful, so full of life, perfect for the void in his lonesome being, so youthful, so innocent... She was so naïve! He hated that innocence, but he longed for it as well. He released his grip on her locks and almost ran out the door. He turned to face her on the bed before exiting, "You shall not be in want of anything in my realm, until you calm down, I will avoid you. Knock on your door if you are in need of assistance, someone will rush to your aid." He shut and locked the ruby handle, and the cries from his to-be-wife echoed loudly, following his person down the hall.

On the tenth day since the kidnapping, he hated that term; he paced in his study even more nervously than before. His servants had told him that no knock was heard from her door, and the entire palace throbbed with her sobs. Even as she slept she wept quietly Hypnos had informed him. She was still in that dreadfully maiden like sheath he had stolen her in, and she refused all help when he sent it for her.

She only sobbed greater when he stood outside her door, almost as if she could tell that he was there. She refused to eat, not that she needed to. At least she would bathe he was informed by a nymph, but she would only do so when she felt sticky from crying, and would get out immediately to put on that same shabby dress. Yet, he couldn't help but feel at least a little triumphant. He would make her see him; he would see her.

_Persephone, _he whispered almost in a mad fashion to himself, _I have you _now.

**Author's Post Note: oh noes Hades, why are you so not a smooth guy huh? Well love does that to yah. I've had someone ask me why I put "J"s into my Author's notes, and the answer is, I didn't mean to, I'm actually typing ": )" smilies, but when I copy paste, the turn into "J"s. Yah, no illuminati action or anything like that going on, though that would have been cool : ) Fair warning readers, I've actually planned out the story up until chapter 15, so if you plan to keep along for the ride, it'll be a fun one! Thanks for reading, please review, I appreciate any commentary :D.**


	4. Chapter 4

**UPDATED! So the bit with Aphrodite is heavily updated, as well as some details. Adjectives are my friends and I've been playing a lot with them lately. Also the flashback dialogue gives more insight as to what happened in earlier chapters. As I've said, this mass cleanse of the first four chapters should hopefully be my last. Love you guys!**

**Author's Note: So a lot of people don't like the idea of Aphrodite playing a part in this story, but guise, come on now, she's a part of at least some tellings of this myth. Besides, she's the goddess of love, let's show her some lovin' ourselves okay? I promise, it'll be worth it! Thanks for reading!**

**Also, so I have the actors for hades and Persephone listed on my profile, but who is Aphrodite you ask? Well click the link to find out; don't click it if you'd rather not know!**

** quitecontinental .files. wordpress 2011/01/scarjomoet20112. jpg (pretty sure the pic is from a commercial, just delete all spaces, thus all the wines, but none the less this is my Aphrodite : ) the one and only bombshell lady even I'd fangirl over)**

Chapter 4: Cat and Mouse

Onyx hinges creaked faintly as the large bronze doors they secured flung open. The eternal shadowy wisps surrounding the Lord of Souls exited first, and his tall and forever faded person followed, the clouds of black and death mixing in with his obsidian cape.

He was more dreadful than usual these days, hard to accomplish really. The gates and cries of the souls in the sunken depths of Tartarus seeming closer and closer to the palace than those of Elysium in it's back yard.

The palace halls echoed painfully with the rhythmic steps of Hades' boots whacking angrily upon the granite floors. A nymph holding freshly washed linens gasped as the Lord passed by her, bowing so low that her linens nearly tumbled out of her arms and onto the floor beneath her feet.

"Good evening, My Lord." She gasped.

He strode past without the slightest glance at the nymph. A few steps beyond later and he heard her hurried foot steps quicken away down the hall, no doubt to tell her fellow servants that she had made it past the fearful lord safely.

That's all he was nowadays, fearful, distant, Hades. It was the name he had retrieved from the Mortals, the one he had inherited from the plot of ruler ship he had drawn that fated day long ago; the name that bared the hatred and fear of every living soul in the world above had become his own name. The place and the man were no longer distinguishable.

These thoughts had plagued his mind for the past several centuries, but he always managed to put on a mask and shield them from the prying eyes and ears of others. He even thought he had sunken so low into acceptance for the world he inherited that he had managed to escape the thoughts himself.

But one thing had stopped him from losing himself in the darkness. One thing had allowed him to see reason and beauty in the hell that was bestowed upon his shoulders. One thing had given him hope where there was none – a new reason to rebuild the depths and make it a decent abode for the souls that would reside there, and a home for himself.

It was the one reminder that though he was immortal and among the dead, he was still living.

And this one reminder that had once grew faint and barely audible beneath the whispers of his realm had sprung to life in the past 1100 years, and even more so in the past 10 days that it was nearly impossible for him to concentrate.

He pressed slender fingers to the sides of his temples and let heavy lids fall over his onyx orbs as he entered his chambers. He released the clasp of his cloak and let it fall to the ground beneath his feet. Ichor pulsed through his veins at his temples, sending loud and rhythmic beats from his temples through his fingers, to his incessant heart and all the way around again. Before he drowned himself in his thoughts of the emerald-eyed, flame-haired, reason for his increase in headaches and decrease in concentration, not to mention the increasing distraction his one commonality to mortals had become, he released his grip on his head and inhaled deeply. He opened his eyes moving to release himself from his tightening clothing and made his way to his bed.

As he let his chiton fall to the ground, a sharp point raked at the skin on his chest. He grunted in pain; ichor dripped from the shallow scratch. Yanking the cause of it from the golden chain around his neck, he held up the golden arrow and cursed it. He flung it towards the heap of clothes at the foot of his bed and stalked into his bathing chambers.

* * *

_"To what do I owe this pleasure?" a woman's voice echoed. A bodacious blonde with full rosy lips looked up through hazel eyes at the dark figure requesting her presence. "You have never accepted any of my previous advances, Lord Hades." She bashed long eyelashes and tossed her golden hair to fall languidly behind her shoulders. _

_Her divan was rose colored, with bits of red and purple ribbon lining the diamond shaped seams used to seal the cushion. She rested her head on her arm and lay still and with a flit of her wrist a nymph rushed in with a similarly colored chair next to the divan. _

_"I am here to request your aid, Aphrodite." Spoke the deep and strong voice of the dark Lord. His voice was hoarse and rash, almost rushed._

_"I am sure there are many needs of yours that I can easily satisfy," she said with another bash of her full lashes._

_"Beautiful as you are – "_

_"Beauty is my domain. I know full well that you do not want me in that way, forgive me if my teasing made you jump to conclusions. I've made off perfectly fine dismissing your rejections as simple idiocy. Do not test me with false compliments, Hades." What was once flirty now became dreadfully evil, her words becoming sharper and harder as she continued to speak. "What could you possibly ask of me that I am obliged to help with?"_

_"You are obligated to nothing. Though as the goddess of Love, I cannot help but think that my qualms are best resolved in your presence with your assistance." _

_Her head quirked and lovely blonde tresses moved along the length of the divan as she stood curiously to full height. A laugh escaped her lips and she pointed a manicured finger at the god, _

_"Love? Hades, ruler of the DEAD, Shepard of lost souls, King of the darkness in love? Well this should be interesting." Another laugh, "and whom may I ask has caught your light-less eyes good Lord, above me no less? The ancient witch Hecate? One of Nyx's daughters of darkness?" she turned wildly then. "But if it were any of those wenches you would not need to seek my help would you? No, dear Hades, have you perhaps fallen for a child of the light?" She laughed then falling back into her seductive pose on the divan, blonde tresses draping over her cleavage._

_He stood then, dark clouds growing, a black mist seeping over the white marble floors of Aphrodite's hall in Olympus, his eyes burning with a passionate fire; still she laughed. "I will take my leave then, Aphrodite. It seems you cannot make my love come true." _

_His heavy strides were stopped by a softly spoken_

_"Maybe, I can help you." _

_He turned back around, chin held high, arms at his side "I am the Goddess of Love, as you say, and it is my humble hobby to play with hearts, and my duty to fulfill them. Do not insult me in my own hall. Who is this woman you speak of?"_

_He inhaled deeply, staring into those hazel eyes, "She is still rather young, and I plan to wait and prepare for the time when I can take her as my own." She nodded him to continue, sipping from a glass of ambrosia that sat upon the ivory carved in front of her divan. "She is sweet, and kind, and full of life."_

_"And who is not compared to you, my King?" She replied with a hint of laughter in her retort. He stiffened but continued almost entranced by his own recollection of the girl,_

_"Flowers grow in her wake, perhaps you know her, the whole court is interested in her, I suppose my interest will dispel you from your … competition. My interest rest only in the goddess of spring, daughter to Demeter and Zeus, Persephone."_

_The glass cracked slightly though no ambrosia spilled, and Aphrodite's playful smile dropped before a cunning thought flashed through her eyes and she stared at the Lord Hades with a smile to display all of her pearly white teeth._

_"My competition you say is merely a child. A girl, whose innocence is the only reason she is beautiful."_

_"How dare you – "_

_"But, I am willing to aid your lonely soul and help you get the girl that scorns my pride. My son Eros, he loves to play shoot-the-arrow with mommy; you need only give him a time and place and he will make the clear and necessary shots."_

_"I intend on making her more than a memory of one day. I intend to keep her. Your sons filthy arrows could not – "_

_"You misunderstand how they work. On mortals, they induce the feelings of lust, obsession, possession, so deeply that one mistakes them as love. In immortals, they simply open their ancient hearts to their deepest and most passionate desires of the moment. The arrows can never turn into love, true, but that does not mean that the arrows' hosts' cannot grow to love. And my dear Uncle, it seems that the arrow would not need to do much work with you."_

_"And what do you wish of me in return?"_

_"Consider this as much a favor for you as it is for me. Do well to keep your part of the bargain and keep the girl in your kingdom once you've taken her. I do not want her spoiling my image in the halls of Olympus ever again."_

_Conflict broiled in his heart – she would help him as a punishment to Persephone. I would be Persephone's punishment: a lifetime with the man Hades and within the realm Hades would be something dreadful to the child of Spring. But he could have her. "You make good on your word, Aphrodite."_

_As black boots slapped on the marble surface Aphrodite raised the glass of ambrosia to her lips once more. A light flutter of wings and a handsome young god entered the room with a golden bow in his arm and carefully crafted matching arrows in a sieve on his back._

_"Mother, who was that man? What does he want with my arrows?"_

_"My dear son, that man was Mommy's greatest challenge. And he has fallen in love with mommy's biggest problem. And you are going to help me conquer both with a single arrow."_

_"Just one mother? Don't I usually shoot two?"_

_"For this particular situation, love, only one arrow should be used."_

_For all the gods that had looked past her perfection and her beauty to gaze at the spring goddess early that day, for all the times her very existence had been scorned, she would enact the greatest revenge. _

_What was she without the eyes of all to see her, for the thoughts of men to be consumed by her, for the women around her to envy? What was she but a lump of flesh and a goddess unworthy of her own title when another was deemed more beautiful, when another garnered more attention, more eyes full of lust? _

_She would be nothing no more. _

_There could only be one goddess of beauty, and the only man who ever rejected her many advances would reap what he had sowed. Hah, Mighty Lord and god Hades, she thought to herself, I've got you now._

* * *

She hadn't gotten much sleep these days. Her robes were a mess and looked more like a shabby cloth made to hide her body than the intricately designed garment of lace and flowers made for her by her mother. It did drape so that the many curves of her body were hidden beneath folds of clothing, but she hadn't minded it much.

She missed her mother. She missed her fields and lakes and the shady side of her favorite tree in Etna. She missed the chatter of nymphs, no matter how mindless, and the stories of conquest and adventure of her sisters Athena and Artemis. She missed company. She missed the sun. She missed the tame adventures she had in her limited space, but at least that space stretched out as far as her eyes could see. Here, walls suffocated her, and her silence was drowned by her own sobs that could not be suppressed. She needed to escape; she needed some company.

She closed her eyes and tried to find some release from her fits of memories but she couldn't take the silence. Not even the fire in her hearth crackled like it did in her mother's home on earth. The fire here burned bright and emitted heat instead of warmth, but it was a soft heat, and it danced on her ceiling and reflected off of the wide mural beautifully. When she sat in the bath, the light of the fire would lick lightly and reflect off the glass waterfall, making it look like the reflection of the night sky in one of her favorite lying spaces near her lakes in Etna. She needed to get out of here.

It was night she surmised, though the sun never really shown here, it was dark outside with only the faint glow of the Styx and a sliver of silver piercing the pitch-black sky of the underworld to shed light. She gazed out her window as she had done some nights before, the grounds beneath her bedroom were well manicured, though all seemed to be asleep, she could see beyond the manicured grounds the edges of a great forest. She lurched away from her window; it was all so eerie. She knew that only secrets and false beauty lay within forests. What her mother had told her as a child had been the truth.

She never should have defied her mother and ran.

She listened for movement, there was none? She would make her escape now, if everyone was asleep, she should be able to anyway. She would follow the rivers; they'd lead her out eventually, wouldn't they?

She caught her breath in her throat as she knocked softly on the door of her chambers. She had never knocked before, but if she did and someone came for her, she knew that they could not be far behind.

She rapped at the door faintly. No one, no sound. She counted to 100 in her head, still nothing stirred in the halls beyond her chambers. She tried the handle. Locked. "Oh!" she cursed herself. Of course it's locked, it's always locked. He keeps me chained here just as he keeps souls chained to the depths of Tartarus, no doubt sitting beyond those trees she chastised herself.

She turned and slumped into one of the ornately decorated chairs of her antechamber that lay betwixt and separating her bathing chambers and sleeping chambers. She stared at the mural opposite the door and willed it give her some hope for the life it pictured.

Just then the quiet fire licked and a small hatch illuminated in the middle of the mural. She walked towards the glinting metal. What she had earlier dismissed as a part of the mural was now revealed to her. She was too busy in the past 10 days lamenting over her losses to notice that the mural was not a mural at all, but a stain glass door leading somewhere.

Where? She undid the tiny golden hatch and walked out onto a grand balcony. Ivory columns on either side, she had to clasp her hand over her mouth to muffle her surprised reaction of glee. This was her way out!

She stepped back into the antechamber and turned to sprint over the balcony, even if she broke her legs, she wouldn't die, she could still find a way out; she was immortal after all. She began slowly at first and broke into a gleeful gait when she skipped past the open glass doors and came to a stop just before the edge of the balcony.

What was once illuminated by the Styx and the glow from the sky was now cast in a black shadow outlining two large wings. She stifled a scream and scrambled back into her quarters when the figure swooped onto her open balcony, and relaxed languidly on to edge she was just about to jump off.

She stared up at a pale figure with handsome features. With his wings retreated he was more handsome than beautiful, but not more handsome than the man with onyx eyes, _stop, don't think of him, he cages you here!_

"Do not fear my queen." A playfully seductive voice spoke. The winged god swooped low and extended a strong hand with black nails to help her to her feet. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Were you a mortal, I would be meeting you in another form, especially after the act you were just about to commit." He raised an eyebrow she shuddered back a blush. She stood on her own ignoring his extended hand and slumped her arms around her waist.

"So now he has demons guarding my windows?"

"Not a demon, my queen. My brother and I are a little more active when everyone sleeps. Well, my brother is always active as there is never a moment where there is not one mortal asleep, and there is never a time when I am not escorting a new guest."

She raised an eyebrow. "Not a demon, not a guard, and you have a brother. That isn't helping me decipher your position in this … realm."

He laughed then, rising from his bow. The flames of her hearth flickered across her face and she saw an ethereally beautiful but frightening individual, he was draped in black, but it was not fabric like the Lord of the Undeworld, _ugh, stop thinking about that beast_, rather, just darkness. His face was angular but not as chiseled as Hade- _stop thinking about him_! His eyes were swirling and enchanting mists of grey and white, and his hair was cropped just below his ears but seemed to float lightly about his face, a striking and glistening silver in the pale light of the Underworld. He smiled a crooked smile then, not charming exactly, but handsome, and somewhat mystifying.

"My brother, my Queen, resides over dreams and sleep, he is Hypnos. He says that you have refused his visits lately. And I, am the messenger of Lord Hades," she visibly flinched at the mention of his name, "The god of death, Thanatos."

* * *

The winds picked up and the crops of the mortal realm withered in a storm of white. What was once green was stripped from branches and sucked dry from the grounds. The grounds that were once fertile lay wasted, dry and cracked. The hearths that were once unused were now filthy with the scars of charcoal and littered with the dirt of the bark that burned within them. What were once the lush lands of the mortal world was slowly being blanketed in the sorrowful sheet of white death.

A figure in an indigo cape stomped furiously through the gates of Olympus. Red curls lay matted and untamed beneath the hood, spilling ungracefully under a heart shaped chin onto the bosom of the harvest goddess. The light was drained from her eyes, and darkness plagued her sunken features. The gloom of her being froze even the clouds of the great god Zeus' kingdom and no white swirls formed at her feet as they usually did. A thin-set line formed beneath her pointed nose, and her beautiful face looked pained and aged, clearly emitting an air of distraught mourning.

A blonde tuft of hair swung behind an ivory column as this indigo-cloaked figure ascended the steps into the pantheon of the gods. "You've done so well my lovely Eros," said a woman's voice from behind the columns.

From rosy lips escaped a sickeningly triumphant laugh as Aphrodite stroked Eros' blonde curls, "Now run along, I will call upon you when I have another job for you." The young man bowed and exited, a familiar gold quiver and bow on his person.

**Author's Post Note: YAY, Massive clean-up and updates done. Now onto more exciting chapters! I hope I haven't lost you guise yet, please stay with me : 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Before you start this chapter, go back and read my edits to the other chapters please. Some chapters had 2 whole pages added, others just had a few tweeks. Thanks guise! P.s. see some pics for the people and dresses in my profile page.**

Chapter 5: Bitter Words

It wasn't a particularly auspicious day for the God of Thunder. Hephaestus and Aphrodite had just left his courtroom, it's magnificent aura destroyed by their screams and bickering, and over a simple mortal of Aphrodite's no less! What he wouldn't give to have Hermes shove one of his own lightning bolts into his throbbing skull. To make matters worse, Hera had just thrown a fit this morning after he called her "sweet thing," apparently, that was the wrong pet name for her. She had assumed that he was calling her by a pet name he had used or was using for one of his many affairs… perhaps though, she might have been right, the god of gods couldn't really remember as of right now. On top of a horrible morning and dangerously livid wife, he hadn't received any offerings from the mortals in quite a while now. His stores were practically empty. He didn't usually mettle with the incessant lives of the mortal people, unless they were relatively attractive, and… available, he licked his lips at his own thought; but for no offerings what-so-ever in more than a week? Impossible! What in the world was going on?

He leaned forward, two ivory and silky smooth elbows placed on either knee, two large hands gripping either side of his temples, the mighty Zeus sat to think things through, a rare site indeed.

But something was throwing off his concentration.

What usually smelt fresh and clean now smelt a little earthy. The white marble floors beneath his golden sandals gave a little shudder, then a small tremor shook his throne. The clouds of white shifted a little too violently for his tastes, he looked up even more confused to try to figure out what in all of the heavens could be happening now.

Instant regret washed over his features as the faint scent of earth became heady and a figure was now attached to the quakes and disturbance of his Kingdom, "Demeter, to what do I owe this – " he was cut off with a high-pitched, rushed, and angry scream.

"ZEUS! Spare me the formalities! Where is my daughter?!"

"You're daughter? Oh you must mean Persephone, _our _daughter."

"_MY KORE_ has gone missing and I know you have something to do with it!"

She pulled the hood of her indigo cape dramatically off of her head, and he saw knotty and wild red curls falling haphazardly around her frame. The harvest goddess was still as divine as ever, but this sight of her was a little too wild for even Zeus' tastes.

"Do not accuse me in my own hall woman!" Zeus spat as thunder backed his statement and shook the room.

The harvest goddess shrunk slightly before regaining her tall stance and locking eyes with the great god, "I will not be lied to, _again_, Zeus, not by you. You will tell me where my daughter is. A goddess doesn't just disappear!"

"You have no grounds for your accusation. Unless you can appeal to me rightfully, providing witnesses, or presenting other evidence, I have no need to sit here and listen to your antagonizing antics."

"Evidence? Witnesses? Why not call upon your daughters, the ones whose care Kore was supposed to be under the very day she went missing! Call in Athena! Call in Artemis! What have they to say about this catastrophe? What have they to say of their misdeeds against me, my Kore, against you their father?!"

"Demeter, you need to lower your voice-"

"WHY?! Is it not your duty to be fair and civil with all matters? When a quarrel exists between gods is it not your ultimate responsibility to settle it?! I have such a quarrel with those deceitful wenches, I-"

Thunder struck once more and the great god of thunder was out of his throne and not a foot from the seething harvest goddess, "You will mind your tongue. Your situation seems dire enough for me to call upon my daughters for their testimonies, but you should remember who it is you speak in front of."

Just then a woman with a silvery blond chignon entered the room. Her eyes were of the deepest purple, and her dress was feathery, it had a high and straight collar accentuating the angles of her face. She was beautifully regal, her very air was poised. The green tones of her dress fell rather heavily to the floor, the purple and black colors of the folded pleats revealing faintly as she walked, giving her an image of pride and confidence. She approached the two bickering gods and placed a delicate hand Zeus' shoulder.

"Come now, Zeus, Demeter," said a voice as authoritative as her appearance. The strength of Zeus' thunderous demands, and temper-ridden blasts of Demeter's fiery retorts were outdone by the silent authority of Hera's calm and collected alto tones.

She stared into the eyes of both gods without hesitation – a silent nod to Zeus told him that it would be best to not upset her further this morning. When she looked upon the harvest goddess a mutual fire ignited between the stare, Hera's eyes narrowed slightly and she whipped around too suddenly for comfort. An obvious bitterness lingered between both women. Hera then stroked her hands through the golden curls of her husband, "My Love," she whispered. As she turned to meet the glare of the goddess behind them Zeus stiffened slightly always wondering, _what is she up to?_

She gestured her hands to the seats before them and called upon a servant to fetch Athena and Artemis. It would be another long day.

* * *

"Why are you here?" she asked the dark winged figure in front of her. She clutched delicate hands at her ivory dress, and gritted her teeth, her escape plans were foiled.

"If I were not here, my Queen, you would probably be halfway into oblivion by now, stumbling through those forest just beyond the horizon out there." A long finger, silver in the moonlight, pointed off of the balcony towards the line of trees.

She shuddered. "I mean, why aren't you out… collecting souls?"

He laughed then, or cackled, he cackled definitely, running silvery fingers through silvery hair. "Everybody deserves a break, don't you think? Though of course, right now, I'm rather essential in the mortal realm."

"What do you mean?"

"Death never sleeps. And as of right now, I could use some."

She crinkled her nose, her grip loosened on her dress, her curiosity getting the better of her, again. "What do you mean you never sleep and you're essential? What is going on in the mortal realm that you are so desperately needed, Lord Thanatos?"

"I can see why he likes you young one."

She took a step back, she hadn't realized that she was walking towards death while asking her questions. "I don't understand, who—"

"Lord Hades of course. And, my Queen, just Thanatos is necessary." She opened her mouth in protest but he lifted a finger to silence her. "Denial only places a blindfold on the one who is walking down a brightly lit hall – you can still tell that there is light beyond the fabric, and you are a fool to deny that it was once light or will be light if the blindfold is removed. I will not serve a queen who uses the light of the hall to search for the blindfold that will stifle that very light."

"You speak in riddles, sir. But there is something you misinterpret, I am not your Queen."

"And that fiery passion, loyalty, lack of restraint, my dear young one, that is why he is drawn to you so. Get some sleep, my Queen, if you dare to make another escape, do so when the light of the Styx is dulled by the light of the skies; nothing is more fearsome in the darkness than a lurking conscience." With that he smirked and jumped from the balcony, his winged figure fading into the pale silvery sliver of light in the sky of the underworld.

Persephone quickly slammed her balcony doors shut, fumbling with the tiny clasp, desperately hoping that it would hold. She sunk down on the floor and stared at the ground in silence. She was trapped, not by monsters, or men, or Lords for that matter, she was trapped in her own thoughts.

* * *

Voices trapped his thoughts. They always did.

If you listened in on his internal monologues and surrounded yourself with the sounds he heard all day, all the time, you'd be drowned in a bottom-less pit of despair. The shades, they cried, they screamed, they whispered, and one above all of them, one laughed.

A tone like acid, a deep deep voice, one that was blacker than the shadows of the night spoke into his head, "Aidoneous, my son." He tried to shove it away, sinking deeper into the waters of his bath. A coarse laughter emanated through his skull "You can't escape me. You'll never escape me. Come now, I know what plagues you," just then the black of the back of his eyelids swirled into a vision of red flame and white petals. Her ivory skin glistened in the sunlight, her emerald eyes begging for adventure as she sprinted through the lush grasses beneath her. Her dark red lips were tilted up into a wild smile, showing all her teeth. "I never though you would be the one to dream impossibly my dear, Aidoneous."

The deep cackled laughter continued and Hades exploded from his bath, wrapping his robes about him.

His shoulder length black hair fell wet and tangled, dripping onto his shoulders, one strand of wavy locks falling just in front of the corner of one of his eyes.

He stood in front of the mirror then, examining himself. He was pale, the red of his wash robes didn't help to mask that fact. His face was angular and chiseled. Stubble lined the bottom of his chin. His eyes were color-less, scary. His hands were thin but strong, ichor pulsing madly through pronounced veins in his hands. His build was lean but chiseled.

It was the image of his father. He looked into that mirror and the figure within it set his head back and laughed a deep acidic laugh and Hades lifted his hands up to shatter that image, send it back to Tartarus for good, when the floor of his chambers shook slightly. And he heard the faintest click, and a rush of wind coming from the balcony just beside his own. His heart raced, he startled at this still new sensation.

He wrenched open his double doors and hastily fumbled with the lock on the only other door in his private halls.

* * *

She had enough surprises for one night. One minute there is the god of death at her window and the next thing you know the Lord of the dead is standing dripping wet, clad only in silky red robe, eyes mad and furious with a death grip on her door. She shot up instantly only to buckle her knees at the sudden change of movement, crashing her left shoulder into the clasp holding the balcony doors together.

He was there then, caressing the arm she had hit against the doors with a slender and pale hand, and a rosy blush broke across her face. She could feel the warmth of his veins seeping through the thin materials of her summer dress into her bruising shoulder. She leaned into it slightly then met with Onyx eyes. Realizing what she was doing, that her previous thoughts of him had practically materialized before her, and that she was slowly leaning into the very reason she was in this whole mess, she wrenched way, replacing the warmth of his hand with her own, rubbing at her sore bruise.

"Why are you here?" she spat at him.

He bit down behind his closed lips as he moved them into a thin line of ruby red, and his eyes twitched. "For some reason, child, I had the nerve to come and see if you were okay."

"Okay? Why would I be okay, caged in this world of yours?!"

"Well, it seems your fire hasn't died so soon."

"Well – " she was about to retort when his robes shifted slightly, showing a bright golden scar stretching from just above his left chest sweeping downwards to just above his left rib.

She blinked once, the hands that were once gripping that pitiful cascading of white fabric were now softly caressing his bare chest. His pupils dilated, as he gripped her by the shoulders and pushed her against the wall. "What are you doing child?" he managed to gasp

"Oh, oh, I was just, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to – " Then his ruby red lips were on hers, and parted her mouth slightly in surprise.

He groaned. The longing was too much, he couldn't stop now. He deepened the kiss – his tongue pushing past her supple lips to taste the tip of her tongue. She tasted as she smelled, sweet, earthly and full of life, innocent.

She lifted her hands up to his chest and shoved as hard as she could, but as she did he slipped his tongue into her mouth and she didn't know what to do. This feeling, it was, frightening. She felt his grip tighten on her and she raked her nails into the flesh of his chest.

He released her lips and harshly breathed in staggered air as his eyes locked on hers. Her nails raked into his already scarred chest and a sound escaped him – half of pain, half of desire.

He lifted her up by her waist and practically threw her onto the bed. Deep brown curls lay splayed against the crimson and purple sheets and she whimpered quietly as her head hit the pillows. He unwrapped his robes and dove into her kiss again. She didn't fight this time, she was accepting him. Her hesitant hands were held up awkwardly on either side of his shoulders, barely touching them. He bent his head to whisper into her ear.

Rolls of damp hair caressed her cheek and a deep voice melted her heart, "Persephone, tonight, you will become my Queen."

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she managed to stifle a gasp as she bit down on her own lip, the same feeling of warm hands moving up her legs.

He lifted his hands up her dress and planted violent kisses on her neck. When he had reached her thighs she opened her eyes and almost as if she were coming back to reality her hands returned to his chest, pushing him away, her eyes locked with his, fear written across her face. He felt a pang of pain hit his chest, it wrenched at the annoying organ pumping furiously beneath it. He gripped her wrists, and shoved them above her head, dropping his voice and his head once more, "Persephone," She whimpered, "relax, become mine." And he kissed her again, his lips more gentle this time. The kiss was slow, deliberate, he kneaded his into hers until she responded, her hands released the tension, her fists no longer balled. Her returned his hands to her dress and slipped it up above her waist.

She opened her eyes to look at him again and he cupped a strong hand beneath her neck, and she grasped at his forearm. He brought their foreheads together, the tips of their noses touching; deep emerald orbs and colorless spheres of onyx entrancing one another. His free hand found hers and he gripped it with all his strength, trying to reassure her.

He whispered it then, barely audible, he wasn't sure even if he'd heard himself say it, if he actually said it, she wasn't sure if she'd imagined it, "I love you." And he thrust into her, her fingers curled around his then, as she gasped away the pain.

**Author's post note: I FINALLY UPDATED! yay! so excited, it's finally going somewhere :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: HI GUISE, long time no see! I hope you enjoy this short paragraph while I fuel up the fan-fiction mobile once more :)**

Chapter 6: Sweat

Silent fire scattered soft shadows across the billowed ceilings of rich purple silk and satin. There were so many dreamlike sensations from the mixed scents of flowers, sweat, earth, and a faint smoky undertone to the not unkind but very unfamiliar feeling of pins and needles in his left arm and fingers. He could hardly tell if this was another dream or, considering the circumstances had this been real, a living nightmare. The soft form shifted before him and silky strands of red fell gently from his chin onto his chest. If it wasn't real, he thought, he would awaken just before she turned towards him, just before he could bury himself into the sweet depths of her emerald orbs, or worse that too familiar voice from the depths would ruin the moment.

Actually, he hadn't heard the voice of Kronus throughout the night. The light of the Styx beyond the single window began to dim in comparison to the underworld's skies. Since the day he was bound to this hell as its King, he had never experienced a rest that lasted through to the morning hours. Nor had he ever experienced a silent moment within his own thoughts - the many souls of the fields and the pits, and the one in particular, always made sure of that.

No dream of his could accomplish such a task.

The supple flesh resting before him must be the source of his inner peace, he thought. A pang hit his chest as Persephone shifted further down the length of his arm searching in her sleep for a more comfortable position. Without much thought the god shot out his free arm and jerked the snoozing goddess back against his chest. A little too rough for comfort as a small gasp escaped the goddess before she jumped upright in the bed, clutching handfuls of fabric against her chest the most frantic of looks glinting off her emerald eyes.

Her heart beat out of her ears, and her head weighed like lead upon her neck and shoulders, she felt a fire in her belly and a stinging sensation below the sheets; she ached all over, and her memories of the night prior poured into her quick enough for a reaction but slow enough to delay any response from this sleeping beauty. The strength with which she clenched her thighs tighter and the cloth closer to her chest was shown in the whites of her knuckles. She peered, half curious, half furious, and entirely innocent, into the lightless orbs of the man before her. She attempted to make vocal her thoughts, jumbled themselves, but only a staggered breath escaped her crimson lips. She gulped uncomfortably noticing the familiar symptoms of awakening from a heavy sleep: a slight dryness to her tongue, and the rasp to her throat.

He couldn't help but stare back; he hadn't awakened, because this was real. No voices plagued him, no deep-seeded hatred stole at his heart, and he was able to drown himself in those lovely emerald eyes, if he'd wanted to. The feelings from those eyes were not something he'd wish to experience every morning. _She fears me_.

Breaking the tension of their stare he traced along her heart-shaped jaw line, passed quickly over her full crimson lips, followed down the ivory skin of her neckline, onto her narrow shoulders, and stopped when he noticed her involuntary shiver. He would have accused himself of causing yet another sign of discomfort if it weren't for the draft he felt from the single window.

Typically, sleeping in an open field or meadow brings the sleeper gentle breezes and cool mornings, but this draft felt unusually cold. Perhaps it was the place, perhaps it was his stare, perhaps it was the new sensation and odd dewing of sweat on her back, but this breeze was practically chilling. Her skin down to her fingers and toes pricked up uncomfortably for a second before she was engulfed entirely in smooth silk and satin sheets, and positioned quite intimately in the bare lap of her nightly consort. She managed to waft in the smell of the sheets, which had maintained the scent of flowers although much stronger than she had experienced during her stay, but had an added scent that was a bit smoky, spicy like cinnamon, tart like bergamot, and strong but not too overwhelming like that of the earth just after a light rain.

Though the deaf are not silent, silence is deafening. The mad drumming of her heart quickened immediately, adding pressure to her eardrums, and driving her thoughts into more of a whirlwind with the rhythmic flick of the noiseless fire casting shadows above her. She could have fallen asleep again, the sleepless nights of the previous 10 days could not be cured in one night she thought, no matter how restful it had truly been.

"My Queen," he whispered, "I am so sorry. Forgive me young one, let me show you my world, dine with me, become mine. Please, let me win you."

They sat together until the skies were clearly emitting a greater light than the river beneath. He could only stand the silence until then. His thin set lips met her brow line and she reflexively closed her eyes tightly. The flesh of her forehead creased slightly and he took this as his sign to leave.

He slid off the bed, hitched his robes about him and took mad strides towards the door. Unsure of the weight of his own emotions, he wrenched the door open with too much fervor, and just before he shut it closed again his thoughts were interrupted by a short but melodious, "Then, show me." And the ruffling of sheets masked the quiet close of the mahogany door.

* * *

Permission. As he soaked in his morning bath the lord of the dead pondered over the chaos that occurred as a result of his deeds in his forest grove. Gaia had been right, foolish was he to forsake the predictions of the great mother earth, yet no one had foretold that _she_ would actually give him a chance. That's what this was, right? A chance?

"So the deed is done, I knew you couldn't resist it, son."

Hades tried to push it to the back of his mind but the deep and unsettling voice only laughed at his attempts. "You mock me, after all these years you still think you're better?"

"And who lies in pieces and in chains, Kronus?" hissed the lord of the dead.

"Yet, who suffers most?" cackled the titan, "I couldn't have done it alone, but with her…"

"YOU WILL NOT SPEAK OF HER!" His scream caused the skies of the underworld to darken slightly, he had to soak deeper in the water to regain himself, and his composure.

"She will come to me, Aidoneous."

"I WILL NEVER ALLOW IT!"

"You cannot fight your desires when it comes to her, could you fight her desires when it comes to you?"

"What are you imply-"

"As the Queen, she must know of every piece of her domain, that includes Tartarus, that includes knowing me."

"I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

Just then the bathing room before him swirled into a haze and the image of Persephone's ripe morning skin, a faint blush to her bare shoulders, took over his mind. "You have good taste, son."

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD, GET OUT, the Hekatonkheires will bind you tighter, the fire beneath you will be stoked to a greater height!"

"And yet, just as you do, I live for pain." Emerald eyes flashed and a ring of orange flames ignited around her pupils as Kronus' cackle died from his ears only to be replaced by the lonely fire whipping at the opposite wall, and the voices of the souls of the damned.

**Author's Post-Note: Longer chapters to follow, sorry for the delay**


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